On Wednesday, May 4, 18:30, the first award show of the 29th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film took place! The winners of the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany and the Trickstar Business Award have been honoured in the joint Trickstar Professional Awards 2022 Ceremony. Moderator Anja Lange led through the evening with numerous guests.
German Animation Screenplay Award
This year, two screenplay prizes were awarded: The award for the best screenplay, endowed with 2,500 € and donated by the Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), and the award for the screenplay with the greatest international market potential in the amount of 1,500 €, donated by Pink Parrot Media, Montreal/Madrid.
The aim of the awards is to promote promising authors, to contribute to the improvement of the quality of the material and the international market potential of animated feature films, as well as to highlight the importance of professional scriptwriting and, consequently, more attractive films.
The award for the best screenplay goes to:
Dino Mite / Minus Drei und die verlorene Stadt
screenplay: Armin Prediger, Andreas Völlinger, production: Holger Weiss and Dominique Schuchmann, M.A.R.K.13 – COM, Björn Magsig and Sandra Schießl, TRIKK 17
Statement of the jury, consisting of Peter Keydel (Producer Mago Production, Barcelona), Holger Weiss (Founder & CEO of M.A.R.K.13 Group, Stuttgart), Silke Wilfinger (Founder of SilkWayFilms, Munich), Emely Christians (Producer & CEO of Ulysses Filmproduktion, Hamburg) and Tania Pinto de Cunha (President and Director Int. Sales and Aquisitions, Pink Parrot Media, Madrid):
“Upside Down” is a popular game – and an exciting premise for a children’s film that surprisingly approaches this question: what if a dinosaur had a pet, an untamed human prehistoric girl? What if the dinosaur is the civilized creature and the human child takes on the role of the “wild” pet? Andreas Völlinger and Armin Prediger have turned this idea into a screenplay for an animated film that is dramaturgically clear, extremely funny and with great dialogue wit. They always have their target group in mind! With an exciting and action-packed plot, but at least as much heart and humor, the screenplay inspires and you can hardly wait to see this story on the big screen, together with lots of children!”
The award for the best screenplay with the greatest international market potential goes to:
Little Miss Santa
screenplay: Jasmina Kallay, production: Lilian Klages (Dreamin’ Dolphin Film, Munich)
Jury statement:
“I guess we will all agree Christmas is a very special time of the year. And our LITTLE MISS SANTA is going to make it even better. This is a charming Christmas story full of love, friendship and understanding of each other’s needs. Unlike other Christmas films we all know and most certainly adore, this one is quite special.”
A Special Mention each goes to the screenplays Mr. Wiggles (screenplay: André Heeger) and The (mostly) marvelous MURRAY (screenplay: Christian Kaps).
Animated Games Award Germany:
The Animated Games Award Germany 2022 is awarded to the best and most innovative animation-based computer game from Germany and comes with prize money of €5,000, sponsored by MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg.
The Animated Games Award Germany 2022 goes to:
Minute of Islands
developer: Studio Fizbin GmbH, publisher: Mixtvision Mediengesellschaft mbH
Statement of the jury, consisting of Alex Cojocaru (Project Manager Games BW, Unit Culture and Creative Industries, MFG Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart), Bettina Wegenast (Director PlayBern-Festival for Games & Culture, Bern) and Stephan Wirth (Founder & CEO Gentlymad Studios, Wiesbaden):
“This year’s Animated Games Award Germany features five very strong submissions. It was not easy for us, the jury, to make a decision, especially because each of the five game nominations fascinates and inspires in a very individual way. But there can only be one winner. Minute of Islands is an independent game with depth in both art design and story. Animations are used sparingly in the hand-drawn graphics, but in a pointed and considered way. They either enliven the 2D graphics or draw the eye to objects that are important to the story or further gameplay. Therefore, we are happy to present “Minute of Islands” with the Animated Games Award Germany with full conviction.”
A special mention goes to Lacuna (developer: DigiTales Interactive, publisher: Assemble Entertainment).
Trickstar Business Award
Trickstar Business Award is the name of the prize that honours companies and projects in the field of animation that have an innovative and groundbreaking business model. The prize money of €7,500 is sponsored by the Verband Region Stuttgart. The Trickstar Business Award is the world’s first animation prize with an explicit business focus.
The winner of the Trickstar Business Award 2022:
Business Model Yullbe GO
Mack NeXT, Rust
Statement of the jury, consisting of Jens Gutfleisch (Managing Director, Film Commission Region Stuttgart), Marc König (Partner at VentureGate, Stuttgart), Solveig Langeland (Managing Director, Sola Media, Stuttgart), Tünde Vollenbroek (Producer, Studio Pupil, Curator at Kaboom Animation Festival, Amsterdam and Animasyros, Greece) and Gabriele M. Walther (Founder, CEO at Caligari Film- und Fernsehproduktion, Munich, Traffix Entertainment, Stuttgart).
“This year the jury of the Trickstar Business Award is pleased to reward MackNeXT, for the company perfectly embodies the Award’s core. MackNeXT GmbH has developed from an in-house agency to an international creator and consultant of innovative theme park design, media-based entertainment and story-telling company. Their product YULLBE Go showed relevance to the market and business potential, as well as an innovatively and promise that the Trickstar Business Award stands for.
Also from the point of view of the industry, MackNext and its Product YULLBE Go stood out amongst this year’s submissions. YULLBE Go is a Free Roaming VR Attraction, enabling 88 guests per Hour to move through a virtual world in an 80 square meter room. The player’s hands and feet are traced by specially developed hardware. Thereby, the system differs from its competitors by the high mobility and capacity at an attractive price. It stands so out also as a new business case for 3D attractions.”
The VR experience Yullbe Go can be tried out on site at the ITFS from April 30 to May 7, daily from 11:00 to 19:00 at the Breuninger store in Stuttgart.
The jury also awards two Special Mentions to Art Minute (Die Asta Experience & Zentropa Productions (Hvidovre, Denmark)– interactive animated series and short film formats for museums) and Colored (Noire) (Novaya (Paris, France) – immersive installation with augmented reality “Artminute Format”).
The three nominated projects of the Trickstar Business Award will be presented on Friday, May 6, at 16:00 on https://onlinefestival.itfs.de/en in the Online Pro section.